FC-470 Restoration

[F470]

I had the valves on my FC-470 serviced in June at IBC. Holes were patches and sealant was injected in the tubes. Now I appear to have a leak in either bow or port side. The valves on my port side work well. No [audible] leak matter what position they are in. The valves on the starboard side however need to be in very specific positions marked with permanent marker not to leak. If they are not they will audibly leak. First off, is this normal and to be expected? After rebuild my expectation was that all valves operate like the port side valves. Are the valves hard to rebuild yourself?

There is also a 1" area of exposed fabric on the bow. Could this be the source of the leak? I have yet to spray it with soapy water to check.

[SIBRider]

Does it leak with cap off or on. You may need new rubber flap on inserts or you might have a gauge on valve surface. To properly repair that it would have to be machined/surfaced.

[F470]

With cap off. With rubber flap do you mean bailer valves?

Is the valve surface on the boat or on the valves itself? What if I replace them with a new valve assembly? I was thinking about replacing all valves with new assemblies next year. Perhaps even do it myself.

[SIBRider]

I mean diaphragm #2195. Don't need to replace metal inserts. That's only part that wears out and cap seal #2213. Westport Marina on Lake Champlain ZODIAC Inflatable IC Valve Parts on the right.

[F470]

Thanks. That's very helpful.

Any idea why two of the valves are 'finicky' and two are not? IBC supposedly replaced the diaphragms in June. According to the manual its 12 o'clock for inflation and 6 o'clock for navigation (plastic arrow on dial). My port side valves however have permanent marker marks in arbitrary position (5 or 7 I think) and need to be exactly aligned with these in order to inflate. If they are off the marks you can hear them leaking. Any idea why this is? Do you think I can fix it? I'm a little annoyed since I spent a significant amount having them serviced.

[F470]

when you say 'gauge on valve surface', are you referring to the surface in the bottom of the IC valve where the diaphragm is supposed to seal?

[SIBRider]

I mean surface of cone shaped brass valve. Otherwise, valve can be positioned incorrectly in tubes to some extant as in value of 12 o'clock points to true 1 o'clock. Hence you would need to adjust correct Inflation/Navigation position. If you have position where it doesn't leak I wouldn't worry too much. It's ok of valves leak with cap off thought. Diaphragms are not designed to be absolutely air tight. just enough to let you inflate the boat.

[F470]

I think I'm going to disassemble them this winter and take a look. If nothing else adjust the port side valves to their true position. In terms of lubrication, what need to be lubed? Manual says intercommunication valves need to be cleaned & lubed with marine grease.

[F470]

Thanks! I find this very helpful.

[SIBRider]

I wouldn't do that. That would mean taking valves out of tubes. Some special tools are required. We only talk about brass cone.

[SIBRider]

Use same grease used for zerks. Take apart the valve (unscrew nut that holds a spring), brass cone will come out, valve body will stay in tubes), clean both, lightly coat cone with marine grease. Should feel much smother. If it wasn't done correctly before or long time ago.

[SIBRider]

Soap and water should tell you if you have a leak in abrasion.

[F470]

Thanks. I've got some work to do.

I just noticed that the manual has a very detailed IC valve cleaning exercise.

[Sheldon N]

Did you see the valve photos in my FC470 project thread? That should give you an idea of what to look for. I'd say it's very easy to take the valve body apart and check it and re-grease it. I used some standard marine grease I picked up at the local West Marine. I think it was Quicksilver 2-4-C grease. The FC470 manual recommended "Shell Retinax A" grease for the valves, which isn't available anymore but some google research suggests that it was just a standard grease suitable for marine applications, nothing fancy.

You shouldn't have any leaks from the brass intercommunication valves, I don't think they could wear out. Just make sure they are totally clean and then apply a light coat of grease before putting them together again. To clarify, I'm talking about pulling the outer valve cone, not the part that's glued/heat welded to the boat. There aren't any seals or anything in that part anyway.

If you're getting leaking from the first (inner) valve with the flapper diaphram, that's normal, a couple of mine do that too. I don't think it's designed to be an airtight seal, just is there to help you not have the air leak out immediately when you're inflating the boat. It's the outer screw-on valve cap that is the true airtight seal. The positioning of the intercommunication valve will affect whether the air inside the boat gets to the outer valve cap at all, since you can open the valve up to either the left or right side chambers, or both at once depending on the position.

Do you have leaking when the valve caps are on? That's the only thing that really matters.

[F470]

Thanks Sheldon! Great info from everyone.

I have yet to track down where the leak is coming from but I found it odd that the starboard and port side valves behave so differently. Why would someone mark the inflation location with permanent marker and why isn't it in the 6/12 o'clock position? Makes me wonder if something has been messed with.

Good to know an audible leak when cap is off is nothing to worry about. It's very possible that dirt/grit made its way in there as I use a foot pump. Do you guys use a foot pump or electric pump? if electric do you need an adapted to make it fit the valve? I'm considering an electric pump as I am getting bored with the foot pump. IBC advised not to use electric pump.

[SIBRider]

I use foot pump to replenish it. Doesn't bother me much. Starting from flat at home I usually just take my shop vac and use it in reverse (take it off the dust bin so it doesn't suck any dirt). Just hold it tightly around valve then finish off with foot pump.

[Sheldon N]

I use a conventional T-handle hand pump.

The intercommunication valve settings are actually just dependent on the orientation of the brass valve cone to the molded handle on the outside. So if your valve orientation isn't correct you'll need to reset the cone position on the handle. I didn't need to reset mine, but I recall looking at them and thinking that you could take the handle off the cone somehow.

[F470]

I found the problem. The valves are fine. I took off the inserts and caps, cleaned and lubricated threads and gaskets. The culprit was the exposed fabric area (picture in first post) that IBC told me not to worry about. Bubbled like crazy with soap test.

[Sheldon N]

Nice, glad you tracked down the source of the problem. Looks like an easy area to patch.

[F470]

Have you guys done your own patching? IBC is going to charge me $120-ish to do it.